Alex, A new Kid on the block
by Demetra83
Summary: Alex arrives at the SGC... and wonders what she got herself into ! This is Aliceanjee's translation work ! Please enjoy !
1. Recruitment

_Hi everyone !_

 _I've been asked, when I started the story in French, if an English translation was possible. Everything seems possible but you have to count on my friend Aliceanjee to take care of a good translation !_

 _Alex's story is kind of weird : I started it as an OS, but after a few days of writing, I realised that an OS wasn't possible ! I had to cut in chapter and when done, I had 3 or 4 chapters counting maybe 1200 words o_O_

 _I was also inspired by Laura and Bill, from BSG 2003, you'll notice while reading the story._

 _Hope you'll enjoy the story, as much as Aliceanjee and I do !_

 _Once again, the story is mine but the translation is all Aliceanjee's work !_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Recruitment**

Hi. My name is Alex Roslin, and I am a senior at Cornell University; I am a dual Near Eastern studies and Linguistics major, with a minor in History.

A few months ago, we were asked to sit for a somewhat unusual test (the Dean of the College of Arts invited all students with a major and/or a minor in either Languages or Archeology to sit for it) which was supposed to be a nationwide test to gauge the level of universities on US soil. Even though we found it strange, we did sit for the test.

The test consisted in deciphering a series of extremely rare hieroglyphics; I think I did well (I've always been interested in the mythology and secrets surrounding Ancient Egypt), and I was the first one to leave the exam room, despite my feeling a bit out of sorts: finishing a test so swiftly doesn't happen very often.

On the way out, I glimpsed a group of uniformed military personnel waiting with some of our professors: they pointed at me, and now that I think about it, their behavior makes me think they highlighted my name out of a checklist of sorts; they didn't ask me to stay back however, so I left. This weird test and all circumstances around it were swiftly forgotten though: after a few days, some much more exciting news pushed it under the surface, as only gossip on a university campus can.

The fall semester is coming to an end in a few days, and I received a rather official-looking note demanding my presence in the Dean's office a couple of days ago. I'm a straight A student, my attendance record is exemplary, and I never step a sliver of a toe out of line: you can understand my being extremely nervous while waiting to be seen in the outer office. My name was called, and I stepped into the Dean's office.

"Welcome, Miss Roslin, please take a seat," Dean Williams said.

I took the seat offered. Glancing around the room, I realized we weren't alone: one of the uniformed military personnel from the day of the test was there too, and he spoke next.

"Good morning Miss Roslin, I am Major Paul Davis from the Pentagon. We looked over your test results, and we would like to take this opportunity to get to know you better."

He was quite a good-looking man, and he had a kind smile; but his being here was a bit intimidating, and I was afraid they'd think I'd cheated: I was so nervous I couldn't help but fidget and squirm in my seat.

Seeing my unease, Major Davis came closer and reassured me.

"The government would like to use your talents in one of its projects, if you're interested."

"I… erm… yes… but…" I stammered, desperately unable to string even two words together.

Major Davis turned to Dean Williams and asked her if he could take me down to the cafeteria to have coffee. Dean Williams acquiesced, and Major Davis put down his cover and outer coat before inviting me to follow him. I was scrambling to find something to say, anything, but the military man took charge of initiating the conversation.

"Please don't worry, Miss Roslin, we don't want to hurt you, it's all the opposite actually. Among other things, the project I am supervising is looking to recruit talented people here and abroad; we need talented, resourceful and smart people on our side to make sure its affairs run smoothly."

"Does that mean I passed the test?" I asked.

"With flying colors! Nobody in the country even came close to your scores, my superiors were very impressed," he smiled.

We settled in a quieter corner of the crowded cafeteria outdoor patio, and he told me about an internship I'd need to do a few days later. I did ask what the internship would be about, but he simply handed me an official-looking file, asked me to read it thoroughly and to call him back as soon as I had an answer.

"Of course, this internship can actually end up in your being offered a permanent position. Your last semester at university would be funded by the Pentagon, but you would probably not come back on these grounds," he stated.

He finished the last of his coffee ("black, one sugar"), took his leave and disappeared from sight; I looked around, and, of course, the gaze of every patron inside and outside of the cafeteria building was fixed on me. I gathered my things and decided to go home and study the file before making a decision.

SJSJSJSJSJ

And here I am, waiting in the lobby of the Cheyenne Mountain facility in Colorado Springs, CO, after an early morning start. I know that NORAD is based here, but there are way too many people here for just the needs of a single organization. I have seen a lot of USAF personnel coming and going since I arrived, entering and exiting the two elevators; I was a bit early, and I am now waiting for Major Davis who's supposed to meet me here very soon. I hear the elevator doors opening again, and here he is.

"Good morning Miss Roslin, how are you today?" he smiles.

I stammer an unintelligible answer, and his eyes crinkle with mirth. He gives my name to the airman in charge of the roster, hands me a visitor's badge and advises it won't be long before we can get to wherever it is we need to go. I look around me, and see many more students like me in the company of military personnel; I wonder if they are here for an internship too, and if it will be the same as mine, whatever this internship actually turns out to be.

The elevator I took to come from the surface just this morning dings, and two men in the middle of a heated conversation step out; they seem to be taken aback by the crowd in this part of the facility.

"What the heck is this?" growls the first one. He's the tallest of the two, looks like he might be in his fifties and sports buzz-cut gray hair.

"Ah, that's internship season for you," sighs the second one. He's a bit shorter, though not short by any means, and his long, tapered fingers slide his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose toward startling blue eyes; he seems to be about a decade younger than the gray-haired man.

"Swell, you'll be able to pick a sexy little assistant this time Daniel!" guffaws the first man.

"Jack, it isn't like I actually tried to seduced my intern last time!" an annoyed Daniel answers.

Major Davis greets them, Jack returning his salute, and signals me to follow him without stopping for introductions. We step into the elevator he exited a while ago, and the two men join us.

"Have you heard from Sam?" Daniel asks.

"Nope. She's probably spent the whole night in her lab as usual. She'll be surprised it's morning already when we go get her, you'll see!" Jack says.

I discretely eye the three men. Davis is silent, a small smile ghosting on his lips, and the other two, Daniel and Jack, talk away as if we weren't there. They exit the elevator a few levels before us with a quick "goodbye", and Major Davis leads me through a maze of corridors until a large office where he introduces me to my tutor, a Doctor Connors.

"Call me Ben, we'll be working together often enough," Doctor Connors says before shaking my hand. Davis takes his leave, and Doctor Connors – Ben hands me some documents to work on. His 'office' looks more like the British Museum to me, with mounds of papers and precarious piles of various artefacts I couldn't even begin to guess the nature of scattered all around the room.

Both scientific and military personnel stop by his office throughout the morning, but I am too absorbed by my task to really pay attention to whatever it is they're discussing. Neither Major Davis nor Dr. Connors actually explained why I am here, nor did they explicitly state what their work is, but I know a permanent position is on the horizon: that is what tilted the scales in favor of this internship for my mother and I, so I apply myself to work quickly and efficiently.


	2. First Day

_Long time no see ! Sorry for the delay but Aliceanjee got busy lately ;)_

 _I'd like to thank her cause her work is amazing ! She corrects every little mistake she founds and the story is better that way ! Lucky English readers :p_

 _Enjoy this new chapter ;)_

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - First day**

"Ben?" My query echoes in the long-standing relative silence of the room. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I can't make heads or tails of this particular word!"

Ben comes closer and whistles low as he takes stock of the progress in my translation work. He is about to say something when Daniel – the one from the elevator – knocks on the doorframe to announce his arrival. I look him over and notice he is wearing green fatigues with a black undershirt, his hair sticking up every which way; a far cry from this morning's put-together coiffure.

"Hello Doctor Conners, I was just wanting to ask about the P3X-898 artefact?"

"Oh hello Doctor Jackson! I'm just done with the preliminary analysis, here you go," Ben states, handing him a folder.

Daniel Jackson… Wait a minute, I know that name! I muse to myself. THE Daniel Jackson? Daniel Jackson the archeologist who published extremely controversial theories relating to the Great Pyramids a few years ago? Daniel Jackson the man everyone thinks is dead, murdered by a government – Egyptian, Russian or American depending on who you ask – so as to shut him up and keep an international conspiracy under wraps? THAT Daniel Jackson?

Ben's just asked him to help with the word I'm having trouble translating, so Dr. Jackson comes closer from his position opposite me and leans over my shoulder.

"Ah, that's a funny symbol, isn't it?" he asks, his mischievous blue eyes smiling at me. Old Egyptian is chock-full of various miscellaneous hieroglyphics, but these are of a slightly different sort.

He then helps me translate the rest of the sentence, as if these strange hieroglyphics were part of a language he'd been fluent in his whole life. After I thank him with a smile, he gets back to his conversation with Ben as I am fully absorbed in the rest of the translation. All of a sudden, a loud voice floats in from further down the corridor.

"Daniel? Daniel? Where the heck is that goddamn archeologist?!"

Daniel sighs and shouts back, "I'm here, Jack!"

A grayish-haired head pops up through the doorframe.

"Daniel! Still hanging out with the eggheads?" Neither Ben nor Daniel seem offended at this statement. "Come on, let's go! Hammond's waiting for us!"

Daniel makes his apologies and exits the room. I must be making my very best goldfish impression – mouth open, eyes wide, face distraught – because Ben's laughter erupts: "You have absolutely no idea at all where you've landed, Alex, have you?"

"I actually don't, no one has really explained what I'm doing here to be honest!" I reply, still astounded.

"Wait until lunchtime then; I'll take you to the mess hall and you'll discover everything there is to know about this base."

I answer with a smile, but I'm still skeptical: I'm not too sure how the mess hall is supposed to help with my understanding of it all. After all, people go to the mess hall to eat and that's it, right?

I have no idea at all about what's going on here, as Ben said earlier. He steers me to the mess hall just before rush hour and we make our way to an already occupied table; he introduces me to other scientists – Felger, Lee, Chloe and others whose names I can't remember – and I sit between Chloe and the interns

I saw this morning, who already seem to know everyone.

"Here comes the show!" Ben smiles as he starts on his meatloaf dish. Chloe looks at me with a small smile and turns her head to the entrance of the mess hall. She brings her chair closer to mine and keeps a running commentary as people come and go. I feel as if I am gawking at celebrities walking the red carpet at the Academy Awards: we are only missing the cameras and the show's host!

"This is Master Sergeant Siler, he's our go-to maintenance man. Kind of our own Tony Micelli, but much clumsier! He's got his own bed in the infirmary as he lands there on a regular basis for burns of every kind… That read-headed Major over there is Doctor Janet Fraiser, our Chief Medical Officer. People sometimes call her 'Napoleonic power-monger' – and by people I mean the very few who dare speak of her behind her back!" Chloe laughs. "Rumor says she's got designs on Dr. Jackson, fro-"

"She already knows Daniel, he came by this morning," Ben interrupts; Chloe nods in acknowledgment.

"Ah, here's you first complete SG team, Alex," Ben says after a few minutes, and everyone takes advantage of the temporary lull in people-watching activities to eat. "That's SG-3 with Colonel Reynolds, Captain Bosco and Lieutenant Peterson; they're possibly the closest to SG-1: as soon as one of the two teams lands in hot water, you can be sure the other one volunteers for – or rather demands! – the rescue mission!"

"But… what's an 'SG team', actually?" I enquire.

Everyone's eyes rest upon me as Ben answers my question.

"Ah, that's right, we should have started at the beginning. An SG team is a unit composed of more or less four members…" That was the signal for an animated discussion as to the exact number of people in an SG team.

"Nothing in the SGC rules imposes four members, that's just the way it usually goes," Ben intervenes before things get too heated. "Anyway, each SG team has a specific task in the field: SG-1's is first contact and exploration, SGs- two and three's is more search and rescue, etc."

I have a myriad questions tumbling in my head, but everyone's face turns away from the entrance as another man enters the mess hall, as if they hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary; I recognize Jack, the man I shared the elevator with in the morning, and for a reason I can't fathom, they all seem weary of him. Now that I think of it, I understand why they're so scared: I'm not quick enough to understand I need to look the other way, and he throws me the darkest look I've ever seen. I am sitting quite a ways from the entrance, but not far enough apparently; I hear Jack purposefully complaining loudly to a blonde woman at his side:

"Your pal Felger still thinks he's at the zoo! He's gawking at us as he would exotic wild animals!"

The blonde Major tilts her head toward our table and giggles softly.

"Carter!" says Jack, exasperated.

"If you don't want me to giggle, stop making me laugh, Sir!" Major Carter states before she helps herself to a couple dishes from the serving line.

"And this is the first half of SG-1, they're the idols here! He's Colonel O'Neill, leader of SG-1, and she's his second-in-command, Major Carter. She's got a PhD in Theoretical Astrophysics, and Jay's in love with her!" Chloe whispers in my ear.

"Am not!" Felger indignantly replies.

"Are too!" everyone retorts as a single voice.

Felger blushes but stays silent, as there is no need for an obvious answer.

A balding man enters the mess hall, and silence falls upon the rowdy midday crowd.

"That's General Hammond, he's the base commander. He doesn't usually come here," Chloe dares whisper again.

The man in question walks to SG-1's table and puts his hand on the back of Major Carter's chair before addressing them. Colonel O'Neill answers with a dramatic move as he puts his hands to either side of his own head, but Major Carter smiles and nods to the General.

"Is it normal to be so… familiar? I mean, my father is in the military too, and even with his own team and fellow soldiers, he is far from being that…" I trail off.

"Close?" Ben offers; I nod in reply.

"It's a bit special with SG-1, they get particular treatment," Chloe explains in a factual tone; nothing in her words or attitude actually points to jealousy or any recrimination, though.

Ben takes in my surprised air and adds serenely, "They're more of a family than just colleagues. They've been through a lot together; you'll understand it all much better if you do get a permanent posting with us."

I finish my meal in silence, pondering over all the information I have been imparted until we all make our way back to the labs.


	3. Sam

_Please enjoy this new chapter, thanks to Aliceanjee's wonderful work ! Thanks a lot for all the reviews - followers - favorites I have !_

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Sam**

I get back to my translation work as soon as we reach Ben's office once again, and I blissfully immerse myself in the Old Egyptian tablets. The phone ringing brings me out of my work-induced focus, and after a few words with the person at the other end Ben asks me to go see Major Carter and bring her some folders.

An SF is tasked with escorting me to her lab as I'm still not quite sure where everything is; I am quite a bit apprehensive as we make our way there, and the folders I hold are silent witnesses to and participants in the slight tremors that wrack my frame from time to time. The airman stops at a doorframe, salutes me and does a perfect about-face before walking away: I guess I'm where I need to be. I timidly rap my knuckles on the doorframe, but Major Carter doesn't seem to hear me; I knock a bit more forcefully and she turns her head to the doorway.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am – erm… Doctor… – erm… Major Car…" I stutter.

She smiles reassuringly, "Call me Sam, it'll be easier. You're Alex?"

"Erm… yes Ma'a… – erm… Sam," I reply, surprised she already knows my first name as I hadn't known hers before I arrived at her office. It is much more spacious than Ben's, but it is difficult to say if it is because she doesn't store half a museum in it or because her lab is larger than my mentor's.

She holds her hand out to take the folders Ben had her brought, and I am about to make my way out of her office when she calls me back.

"Please wait a moment Alex, I need a second pair of eyes here if you don't mind?" she enquires.

I nod my assent and she gestures for me to take her seat and look into the microscope. When I raise my head, I look into her mischievous cerulean blue gaze.

"Seeing your face, I gather you saw the same thing I did," she smiles.

"I guess so, even though I have no idea how that's possible," I answer.

She laughs and asks me to stay and help her translate the documents on her desk. I agree, and she takes her seat at the microscope back, with a pen and pad by her side, inviting me to do the same. I give her a quick glance as she resets the tool: she is gracious and kind, and smiles quite a bit; she seems very far from the idea people have of a woman in the military, especially one with the rank of Major. I shake my head to stop my musings and get back to work; that's what I'm here for after all.

She asks me to sum up what I've read and understood from the text and I comply, all the while wondering whether she really is listening to me as she continues tinkering with a machine I've never seen before. I suddenly stop talking and she turns to me with a smile.

"Don't worry Alex, I'm listening! Would you please continue?"

I am just about done with my report when Colonel O'Neill comes into the lab. Sam straightens her spine as he looks at her but doesn't get up as he signals for her to remain where she is. I do stand up however, spine straight and eyes forward, and Colonel O'Neill eyes me as if he were looking at an alien.

"Sir, this is Alex Roslin, she's Ben Conners' new intern," Sam swings round on her seat and introduces me.

He nods to me and turns back to Sam, but his eyes suddenly rest on me again.

"Roslin?"

I nod, and Colonel O'Neill looks at Sam as if he's just seen a ghost she hasn't.

"Roslin, as in 'Bill Roslin' Roslin?"

"Yes, Sir. He's my father, Sir."

He arches an eyebrow, and I understand he's pleased with my manners, very soldier-like.

"I like her, Carter, can we keep her?" he quips.

Sam giggles again and replies, "Sorry, Sir, she hasn't been posted to the science labs. That's too bad, she's really gifted and would be a huge help as Daniel's usually late with his translations these days."

A warm feeling spreads over me at Sam's praise.

"I don't understand why we always get the riff-raff of all the interns in the whole world and the eggheads always get the best!" Colonel O'Neill whines.

"Sir!" Sam indignantly interjects, to my utmost surprise. I watch them with interest.

She puts all her tools away on top of the desk as Colonel O'Neill comes closer. If it were me, I would be backing off by now, but she stands her ground. She is holding her breath, and they are looking into each other's eyes, seemingly forgetting the rest of the world around them, namely me.

Colonel O'Neill clears his throat and says softly, "Carter, you're good at spotting the very best. If you're telling me you want her, I'll get her for you…"

I am astonished they're talking of me like this, but even more so by their closeness and the tone they are using to do so. I remember Felger saying at lunch Sam often stands her ground in front of her superiors whenever she deems it necessary – she seems to have nerves of steel, which is, as I very well know, an asset for a woman in the military – but this, this is different…

"Sir…" Sam pleads, as if she doesn't want to answer.

"Carter, everybody around here knows your main gift is to make me do whatever you want… and everybody also knows I can never say 'no' to you…"

"Alright!"

"Yeah!" Jack grins, as if he were a little boy who'd just convinced an adult to give him something he really wanted.

He marches out of the lab, and Sam pensively looks at his retreating back. She turns away as she feels my eyes on her, but I can see she is blushing as we both get back to our respective tasks.

A few minutes later, as I am working on further translations for her, the phone rings and Sam answers absently.

"Carter… Oh, Doctor Conners!"

She is biting her lower lip to refrain from smiling as she listens to Ben.

"I know, I'm sorry. I swear I didn't plan it!" she pleads.

Sam sighs as she puts down the phone after a few more apologies.

"Alright Alex, you're stuck with me now," she says.

"Ben isn't too happy about it, I gather?" I ask timidly.

She turns to me and replies, "Not really, but he'll get over it."

We give each other a small smile before going back to work, and I ponder on everything that has happened since I entered Sam's lab: Sam is needing me to help her, and Colonel O'Neill has arranged for me to be her intern without her really asking for it – I agree with him: she can make him do anything, and he's lucky she's an honest woman, as he could otherwise land in deep waters.

Daniel Jackson drops by later in the afternoon after he learns I will now be working with his teammate and friend, and he brings me some of his own dictionaries to help with my work; he seems as excited as if he were the intern and not me!

Sam and I keep on working throughout the rest of the day without further interruptions.


	4. Doubts

_Hi everyone, and happy new year 2017 !  
_

 _To start the best way as possible, please find a new chapter, translated by the wonderful Aliceanjee ! She's the best !_

 _Enjoy ;)_

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Doubts**

As we approach the end of our working day, Sam answers a call informing her she is wanted in the briefing room at General Hammond's request.

"Come with me Alex, this is about you too," she softly says.

We make our way through the maze of corridors, elevators and flights of stairs as Sam tells me about the Stargate. At first, I am wondering if she is really serious, or if this is some kind of weird hazing tradition; but as we exit the main elevator and enter the control room a few twists and turns away, I understand she is not making fun of me, at all.

"Here it is," she proudly smiles.

I can see the gigantic stone ring through the large window separating us from the embarkation room, and I am really impressed; I don't have time to dwell on it though, as we must go up to the briefing room via yet another flight of stairs. I start to panic as I see the occupants of the room: General Hammond, Daniel Jackson, Colonel O'Neill, a man I don't know – he looks like a coffee-skinned linebacker with a golden tattoo on his forehead, yum – and Ben Conners.

"Thank you for coming so promptly, Major," General Hammond says, inviting us to take a seat. "I asked you all here to hopefully sort out the issue between Doctor Conners and yourselves."

"Here we go, I knew it!" Colonel O'Neill groans.

"Colonel! Doctor Conners came to me and complained you 'stole' – even though I don't like this term when applied to human beings – Miss Roslin from him," Hammond states.

Everyone is looking at me, with a different expression on their face: Sam is benevolently smiling at me, Colonel O'Neill's face is unreadable, Daniel's is surprised, Ben's is furious and the last man's face remains blank.

Suddenly, they all start speaking at once, fighting like fishwives: Colonel O'Neill states his 2IC needs me and their missions are more important, Ben retorts he'll never make any progress if the best elements of his team are taken away from him, Sam argues she needs someone gifted and I seem perfect, Daniel adds I can learn a lot thanks to them. Exasperated, Ben ends up insulting them all, shouting they think they're the kings of the world, their reputation is undeserved and they're just a bunch of incompetent people. General Hammond eventually silences everyone, and the last man finally speaks.

"I think AlexRoslin should be allowed to speak her mind as well, GeneralHammond," he states, his gaze piercing though evidently kind.

I am mute and paralyzed: not a single word seems to be able to get past my frozen lips; but, all in all, what can I actually say at this point?

"She's only arrived this morning, we should leave her some time to make a decision," Sam calmly offers, and General Hammond gives me until tomorrow morning oh-nine-hundred hours to think about what I really want to do before dismissing us all.

Colonel O'Neill stands up and sweeps to the door with a grand gesture, "Ladies first!", elbowing Ben in the gut as he does so; Ben glowers but stays mute. Daniel walks up to me, puts his hand on my shoulder and advises me to discuss it with the interns who have been here a while already. The last man – whose name I still don't know – gives me a departing nod and I watch their retreating backs, still bewildered; General Hammond turns to me as I am about to leave the room.

"Let me give you some advice, Miss Roslin. The choice you will make doesn't matter, do not waste your talent wanting to please others: think only of you, and your career, because whatever choice you will make, there will always be some people telling you it's the wrong one. The most important thing in all this, is to honestly choose in good conscience; everything else will go away, eventually," he kindly states.

I give him a small smile before I exit the briefing room with a last admiring glance at the Stargate through the windowpane.

I chance upon Chloe as I try to make my way out of the SGC through the maze of corridors, and she introduces me to other interns I haven't met yet, inviting me to go along with them to the local pub, _O'Malley's_ I think, for a drink or two to celebrate my new position.

We sit down in a large booth at the pub; the news of the fight between my erstwhile mentor and SG-1 has spread around the base like wildfire and each and every member of the personnel seems to already know who I am, whereas I only know a handful of them.

All my companions start to throw their two cents in at the same time: "You know, SG-1 is the best team EVER – They're the elite team – They're sent on the most dangerous missions and always, always come back – Yeah, but they've already all died at least once! – Dr. Jackson surpasses all of them as far as resurrections go…"

I am also offered all the details as to who's sexier, smarter… _Well, it's obvious Ben won't ever be friends with me if I do choose SG-1, but I will learn much more with them than I ever could with anyone else_ , I muse. I understand that Colonel O'Neill would take me under his wing as well, and that I'd be much better off as his friend than as his enemy.

"If you work with Major Carter and she's happy with your work, you'll see that life at the SGC will be much easier for you than for us poor anonymous eggheads," my seat neighbor states.

"And why's that, Fred?" I ask my new friend.

"When Colonel O'Neill enters an office or one of the labs, he'll only acknowledge people he already knows; he doesn't seem to want to get to know anyone else."

Fred's right: Colonel O'Neill ignored me every time his path crossed mine until Sam introduced us; it changed after that.

"And that way, you can tell us if they're really sleeping together!" Fred continues.

"Who's supposed to be sleeping together?"

"Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill of course! There's a huge betting pool on the both of them but no one actually knows the truth," he grins.

A hush descends over our group as four people cross the pub's threshold. I recognize them and marvel at their physical appearance; I'm wondering whether the brass actually takes it into account when they recruit personnel for the base!

"Who's the tall quarterback alongside Dr. Jackson?" I whisper to Fred.

"That's Teal'c. He's an alien from the planet Chulak and helps with the fight against the bad guys," Fred explains.

"He's in SG-1 too?" I ask.

"Yeah, he's been a part of it pretty much since its inception. But that's a long story, better told during long winter evenings by the fireplace," he winks.

I wink back, and I watch the new arrivals as Sam whispers low in Colonel O'Neill's ear; he looks in our direction and greets me with a nod I return with a smile.

"Wow, you're Miss Popular tonight, aren't you?" one of the girls says.

No one answers as Sam walks away from her teammates and makes her way to us. She's wearing civvies, black slacks, midnight blue blouse and a jean jacket: nothing special, but there definitely is an air about her. All the pub's patrons are looking at her as she approaches; she greets everyone, gives me a smile and wishes me to have fun tonight before walking away.

"Oh gosh, I feel like I'm back in high school, and that the prom queen has just come and said hi to the geeks no one talks to, as if we were a charity case," one of the girls moans after Sam has left.

"Are you kidding? She most probably was prom queen, but she definitely is the geekiest of all the SGC geeks!" Fred states.

Everyone chuckles, smiles or laughs at his oh-so-true statement.


End file.
